One of the highlights of the symposium was a panel discussion on “Nurses’ Role in the Future of Healthcare.” Moderated by Hartwick College President Margaret L. Drugovich, three top hospital executives discussed the role of Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), nurse leadership in hospital administration, and academic advancement for nurses.

Jeff Joyner, president of A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital, and Mark Webster, president and CEO of Cortland Regional Medical Center also discussed the importance of the personal connection with patients and working together as a team in hospital administration. All three hospital executives agreed that nurses are vital to hospitals functioning properly, and used the CNO role as an example of how the nursing profession has expanded and evolved for the modern age.

Doreen Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean of the UAB School of Nursing and Fay B. Ireland endowed Chair in Nursing, says the excitement is evident as everyone discovers how to live and learn in the new facility. “Our students and faculty are learning and collaborating in open, light-filled spaces throughout the day. Classrooms are structured to engage students in flipped classrooms, using video streaming and sharing through computers and other digital devices. Faculty have their own windowed offices rather than working in groups as well as convenient conference rooms for meeting with students throughout the building.”

Jacqueline Moss, Ph.D, Associate Dean for Technology and Innovation in the School of Nursing, says the technology is designed to maximize interaction and engagement of students. “We are able to stream video from simulations happening in our nursing competency suites, from presenters at a distance, and engage with patients where they live. In addition, all classrooms are equipped with device sharing hardware and software that allows students to work in groups and share that work with the entire class by sharing their work on their personal computers.”

Dean Harper notes that in addition to gaining new technology and space, the programs within the school are growing in response to the continuous need for highly educated, compassionate and competent nurses. “We have expanded our pre-licensure programs at the baccalaureate and master’s level to accommodate more than 60 new nursing pre-licensure students annually. Likewise, given the critical need for nursing administrators, managers, informaticians and executive leaders, our nursing health care systems major is being tailored to recruit nursing leaders and innovators from across the nation. We have also developed new coursework in perioperative nursing, transplant nursing, design thinking and biomedical informatics research to be offered.”

A community college in the state of Colorado has received approval to offer a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Colorado is just the latest state to offer a four-year nursing degree at a community college to help increase the number of nurses with BSN degrees.

Julia Sayler, a nursing student in Denver, tells Denver.CBSLocal.com, “I think it’s great, because a lot of people can’t afford the four year experience. We need more younger people out there.”

Research from the Institute of Medicine shows that BSN-trained nurses have better patient outcomes, leading to a recommendation that 80 percent of nurses hold a BSN degree by 2020. States across the country have begun increasing the number of community colleges that can provide a BSN degree to help the country reach that number.

The decision to offer a BSN degree at Front Range Community College in Westminster, CO, was made after state lawmakers came together to try to create more ways to get students into the nursing profession to help address the state and nationwide nursing shortage.

To learn more about Colorado’s decision to offer a four-year BSN degree at the community college level, visit here.

After launching a 16-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program in January 2017 in partnership with Orbis Education, Xavier University recently celebrated the pinning of the first cohort of program graduates.

The ABSN program addresses the current and future nursing shortage in both the state of Ohio and nationwide. Offering college graduates with non-nursing degrees the opportunity to start a nursing career, the program delivers high-quality, clinically intensive nursing education in a short amount of time through online learning, simulation lab practicals, and clinical rotations in the greater Cincinnati area.

Dr. Lisa Long, associate director of nursing, online and hybrid program at Xavier University, tells PRNewswire.com, “We offer experienced and credentialed faculty and state-of-the-art labs and simulation experiences to our students. We put all of that, as well as an emphasis on Xavier’s Jesuit, Catholic mission of care for the person, into a package that prepares students for a successful transition into nursing.”

The ABSN program was developed in partnership with Orbis Education, a leading provider of pre-licensure healthcare programs for universities. Orbis funded the development of a high-tech learning facility which includes meeting rooms and simulation labs featuring high-fidelity manikins.
To learn more about the partnership between Orbis Education and Xavier University to create an accelerated BSN program, visit here.

Iowa State University is in the process of enrolling its first-ever class of registered nurses seeking to earn Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees. The university is hopeful that the program will improve health care outcomes across the state.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has released a Future of Nursing Report which set a goal of having 80 percent of working nurses in the US earn their bachelor’s degrees by 2020. Less than half of Iowa nurses currently hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, but Iowa State University is hoping to increase that number.

Iowa State’s RN-BSN program will be housed in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and administered by the College of Human Sciences. 25 students are expected to join the inaugural class, but class sizes are eventually expected to grow to 50. The program will include classroom time, online courses, and practicum work in community settings. It is a program designed for working RNs and recent college graduates with an associates degree and licensure.

Program director Dr. Virginia Wangerin, clinical assistant professor and director of nursing education, tellsDesMoinesRegister.com, “We created a unique nursing program with a holistic approach to wellness… Nurses touch every patient in the health care system no matter where they are. If the nurse has a higher level of education and is prepared to see subtle early signs of complications and changes in condition, they can intervene sooner.”

To learn more about Iowa State University’s new RN-to-BSN program set to launch this coming fall, visit here.

Previously proposed legislation to enable 13 institutions in the Colorado state system of community colleges to offer four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees was signed into law this week. The new legislation, HB18-1086 “Community College Bachelor Science Degree Nursing,” will set the stage for the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) to begin offering BSN completion programs.

CCCS System President Dr. Nancy McCallin tells GlobeNewswire.com, “Colorado needs more BSN-prepared nurses, and with this legislation, CCCS will now be able to deliver them! We are ready, willing and able to respond to this workforce need, and look forward to presenting new academic offerings that will create a healthier Colorado.”

CCCS developed the legislation in response to requests from healthcare providers who expressed growing concern about the state’s looming shortage of skilled nurses. The bill received widespread support from healthcare providers, industry organizations, and elected officials. Allowing the CCCS system to offer BSN programs will expand options available to nursing students to help address the nursing shortage and improve healthcare outcomes across the state.

The state of Colorado is currently experiencing an annual shortage of 500 BSN-prepared nurses with that figure expected to grow to 4,500 nurses by 2024. Local health care providers have been forced to hire nurses from other states to help fill empty positions, increasing healthcare costs. The new legislation will help address the shortage by enabling institutions to offer four-year BSN completion degrees to nurses who want to fill empty positions but don’t have access to the additional training and education they need.

To learn more about Colorado’s new legislation to address Colorado’s nursing shortage, visit here.